Kentucky massage therapist Pat Sazy arrives at the home of her 7:00 p.m. appointment and knocks. Opening the door with her customary smile is Anne Shapira who, at 101 years old, seems to defy the physics of aging.
Sharp as a tack and quick-witted to boot, Shapira’s youthful spirit and bright eyes have you immediately questioning her age.
“I tell people that my longevity is due to Estée Lauder and good genes,” the spry centenarian says. “But I think I need to add massage to that, too.”
Shapira, a matriarch of the family-owned Heaven Hill Distilleries in Louisville, Kentucky, has been receiving massage for decades and believes it has played a large part in maintaining her mobility and general good health. Since 1996, she’s received massage exclusively from Sazy, who comes to Shapira’s home every few weeks to administer the therapy.
“I met her when one of my neighbors, who was her massage client, had a birthday party—I think 75th or 80th—and Pat was giving the guest of honor massages. I said, ‘I would love to have a massage.’ We set up an appointment and from that day on, every two weeks I get a massage from Pat.”

Once a Luxury
Shapira, who likes to play cards, have dinner with friends, shop a little, and knit a lot, admits that decades ago she considered massage a luxury. It was something she did on occasion. Not until she started spending her winters in Florida with her husband, David, and began receiving massage more frequently did she appreciate the full value of what the work could do. When she returned home to Kentucky, she increased her regimen, and started receiving massage every two weeks.
“Now I get them for my health,” she says. Not only do the massage oils help with her extremely dry skin, the time Sazy spends on Shapira’s legs improves her poor circulation. It also alleviates the pain and weakness she often feels in her extremities. “It’s really helped,” Shapira says. Sazy, a 30-year practicing MT, says in addition to traditional massage techniques, she has been ending Shapira’s sessions with a short reflexology treatment to stimulate her nervous system. “Anne looks forward to this part of her treatment and she gets in a relaxed state of mind,” Sazy reports.
Massage also has become somewhat of a sleeping aid for the active Shapira, who likes to schedule her massage in the evenings. When her session is over, she puts on her pajamas and settles in for a sound night’s sleep.

Medicine for Longevity
Always advocating for her therapist’s good work, Shapira encourages her neighbors to try massage and feel the benefits. “It’s very relaxing, and it’s a wonderful way to keep your body in condition,” she says. “Hopefully it helps you maintain the ability to walk more confidently, leave your home when you want, and take part in social things.” Shapira believes that’s what massage has done for her.
Not all elderly clients will have the same vigor and vibrancy as Shapira, but this 101-year-old is a good reminder that each “seasoned senior” is as different as the therapist who serves them. No one protocol works for every geriatric client: some will need to receive their massage while seated in a chair, others may have diabetes and the foot issues that can accompany that disease, and some may be dealing with the frustration, sadness, and fear that comes with the onset of dementia.
Your job as a practitioner is to meet clients where they are, and be present for them. Sazy, who became a massage therapist in 1985 so she could help address her mother’s stroke symptoms, says it’s important to remember that your role, by default, may include everything from massage therapist to friend to caregiver. Watch your emotional boundaries, but take great pride in knowing that the work you do with elders is making a huge difference in their lives.
As for Shapira, she plans to continue receiving massage as part of her health-care plan. “Massage is wonderful and relaxing, and I’ll continue to get them as long as I can.”

An Aging Clientele
An Expert’s Advice on What MTs Need to Know
“With the rapidly increasing numbers of the senior population, and the current longevity seen today, therapists would be well advised to be educated in the burgeoning field of geriatric massage,” says Sharon Puszko, owner of DayBreak Geriatric Massage Institute in Indianapolis, Indiana. Puszko, who has been working with elderly clients for more than 25 years, says the geriatric segment is a growing and rewarding population to serve.
“Senior facilities across the country are adding massage therapy to their amenities,” Puszko says, and massage therapists need to be ready to fill the growing demand. As these facilities, and the families of their elderly residents, are recognizing the therapeutic benefits of massage—including improved circulation, increased range of motion, and psychological comfort that comes from touch and active listening—the opportunities for practitioners grow.
Before you start working with this clientele, however, Puszko recommends having some knowledge of the medications they may take (and a good pathology reference book), as well as the health challenges and psychological issues they might endure. This will help you know what conditions are contraindicated and when a doctor’s permission is necessary before administering massage.
Puszko says there are two things to remember as you work with this group of clients. First, your intake process is the most important thing you’ll do in a massage session with an elderly client. Knowing their health history, as well as the medications they are taking, is imperative. Second, all seniors are not frail; many are robust and still very active.
“Although thinning skin and weakening bones are part of the aging process, aging is not an illness,” Puszko says. “Each client should be treated according to what health and aging challenges they have. As with all clients, these are individuals with individual bodies.” Approach each one uniquely.

Karrie Osborn is senior editor at Associated Bodywork & Massage Professionals. Contact her at
karrie@abmp.com.